So Many Steps Ahead
by mysterious intentions
Summary: May's solo journey through Johto isn't going as smoothly as she had imagined in her head. As her resolve is beginning to crumble when she's stuck in a pouring rainstorm, she finds unexpected support from her haughty rival. Contestshipping.


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Thick, grey clouds loomed in the sky like a wrinkled, down-stuffed blanket. The clouds looked almost...cozy enough to wrap herself in and snuggle her cheeks against the wispy softness. All she wished for at the moment was to be dry and tucked away from the fat droplets of rain those very same clouds were producing. She allowed herself to close her eyes, a brief moment of reprieve. The rhythmic sound of rain thumping against the ground fizzled into white noise as she willed her heart to calm down and not worry about the fact that she was without shelter, sopping wet, and that it was going to get dark soon.

That is, until she felt the itch in her nose turn into a loud sneeze. She sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her glove and grimacing at the trail of mucous left glistening on the fabric. "It's okay May...no need to panic, you're a big girl now," she whispered to herself as she fished through her fanny pack for her PokeNav. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably as she rapidly pushed buttons on the little yellow device.

"Come on PokeNav...load faster," her voice hitched into a desperate squeak as it scrambled to locate the nearest Pokecenter. A bright red light that signaled low battery on her PokeNav flashed with a glaring urgency that only made May's hands dampen with cold, clammy sweat.

_I wish I wasn't alone. _Memories of being lost with Max, Ash, and Brock resurfaced immediately. Sure they were confused and lost, but at least they were together. Ash and Max would have thrown a tent up, Brock would have tried to set up a fire and she would have found a way to shield it from the rain. Then Brock would pull out a pot and start cooking up some delicious chicken noodle soup while everyone hovered their hands around the warm fire...

She vehemently shoved the thoughts swarming through her head back. May knew this was her own decision. She asked for this and she wasn't going to have her journey end so quickly in flames like this. May didn't like to admit it but she was afraid to no longer be in the care of seasoned travelers like Ash and Brock. But although it was comforting to be in their presence, May didn't want to keep depending on their strength without finding her own. This was her time to shine, her time to blossom, even if no one else was to witness it.

Though this instance of being stranded in the rain certainly wasn't one of her more brilliant moments. She knew if Max was here he'd be calling her out for such a rookie mistake. Her heart sank a little more as her PokeNav's screen dimmed even darker and she felt pressure seeping into the corner of her eyes. She hugged her arms tightly, vaguely noting that goose bumps had run rampant over her bare skin. Her vision blurred and she struggled to control the pressure building up in her tear ducts. _No...don't cry._ This was _supposed_ to be her time to shine.

"Oh hey, why if it isn't May," an all to familiar voice made her snap her head up. She gulped down a heavy lump in her throat and straightened up her composure.

A boy slowly made his way over to her. Similar to herself, he was doused in water from head to toe. His hair matted to his forehead, clothes clung tightly to his skin, and beads of rain trickled down a face that was paler than usual. Yet contrary to herself, he didn't look absolutely miserable, even donning a semblance of a coy smile on his lips.

"Drew..?" She asked hesitantly. For once, she was incredibly grateful to the rain for concealing any stray tears that may have slipped down her cheek.

"The one and only," he flipped his chartreuse hair casually and came to a stop a few feet in front of her.

"What are−ahem," May cleared her throat of any shaky sobs that were threatening to spill over, "What are you doing here?" she finished evenly.

Drew raised an eyebrow but fortunately didn't comment on her behavior. "Well obviously I'm here because I love standing still and drenching myself in the rain."

"Haha...very funny..." May weakly chuckled. She could feel his jade eyes staring at her, and it made her want to retract her previous wish of a warm cloud bed to instead the ability to shrivel away from his gaze. She definitely didn't want this to be her rival's first impression of her on her own journey. Drew was always so many steps ahead of her. Just when she thought she was within reach of grasping his shadow, he would speed up and disappear again.

As if he sensed her discomfort, Drew dropped the sarcasm and gave her an honest answer. "I was training with Absol and he wanted to keep on going even when it started drizzling. But now the rains too heavy and Absol would get sick if we kept on training, so I'm just heading back to the Pokecenter now."

"Oh..." May inwardly sighed in relief at the topic change to his pokemon. "Wow Drew, your Absol is really motivated isn't he?" She complimented in awe.

"Yes he is," Drew responded with a smirk.

He might have continued to prattle on about his pokemon if not for another noisy sneeze from May. "Bless you," he said quietly, the edges of his eyes softening.

"Ah...thanks," May rubbed her nose and sniffed. When she looked back up at Drew, her eyes widened at the jacket he had thrust in front of her.

"Here. Take it," he all but commanded. With his body and face turned sideways, it seemed like something far off in the distance had suddenly captivated Drew's attention. May couldn't have been one hundred percent sure in the dim lighting, but his cheeks appeared to be tinged pink.

"Huh?" Was the first thought that came rolling off her lips.

"Just take it," he repeated, shaking his purple jacket for emphasis. "You need to take care of your body so you don't get sick. If you're sick how are you going to participate in contests or take care of your pokemon?"

Heat rose to her cheeks once she began to understand Drew's offer. "N-no it's okay I'm not that cold," she stammered out and shook her head from side to side.

"Don't lie to me," he stated flatly, still looking away.

If it had been Ash or Brock who offered a jacket to her, the event wouldn't even have registered as anything out of ordinary. From any other average boy, the offer would have been a sweet gesture. From Drew, he made it seem like some sort of objective responsibility.

Drew coughed into his other hand, bringing May's attention back to him. It gradually dawned on her that the longer she stood there in dazed silence, the more he began to stew in embarrassment. Embarrassing himself for her sake was his strange way of expressing concern she supposed. The thought made her heart clench as she grasped his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Oh uhh...thanks," she mumbled sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, shifting his body back towards her but keeping his gaze averted to the side.

May suddenly felt much warmer than she did five minutes ago; probably due to her own realizations more than actually wearing Drew's jacket.

They stood in awkward silence for a few more seconds, May's blush reddening even further when she noted that Drew didn't look half bad in just his black turtleneck. May opened her mouth to break the stifling awkwardness but surprisingly Drew beat her to it.

"Well I'm not going to continue standing here soaking in the rain, I'm gonna head over to the Pokecenter. Up to you if you want to come or not." He turned on his heel but stopped expectantly to wait for May's sloshing footsteps to catch up to him.

"Wait I'll go with you!" She responded eagerly, the allure of the Pokecenter fetching back May's upbeat disposition.

"You got lost didn't you?" He said knowingly.

"N-No! Of course not! I've traveled for a long time already I know what I'm doing," May retorted with a huff.

"Uh huh. Alright May," Drew smirked before stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking ahead.

"Wait Drew!"

"Hm?" He inclined his head a few degrees to the side.

May looked away to the side and bit her lip, "Ah...is it really okay for me to take your jacket? I mean aren't you going to get cold instead? You might get sick."

Drew turned to face her and shook his head. "Nah, I'm not cold. I told you not to worry about it," his tone was almost gentle. Once again, May's eyes widened in surprise. Maybe Drew had finally changed his haughty nature and matured. Maybe Drew−

"Besides, you're dressed _way_ too skimpily. Haven't you learned that temperatures fluctuate all the time? I'm surprised your pokemon are still well raised even though they have a ditzy coordinator like you," he teased her brazenly, the corners of his lips curling up into a smile.

And all her thoughts about a changed Drew flew out the window and fizzled to ashes.

"Why you...Drew!" She clenched her fist into a tight ball and glared daggers at her infuriating rival.

"Is that your comeback? I'm so flattered you remembered my name," Drew drawled as he started walking again.

"I'm new to the Johto region! And what about you, you didn't pack an umbrella?" She ran to catch up with him, clutching the collar of his jacket at the base of her neck so it wouldn't fall off.

Drew rolled his eyes. "Those are impractical. It's best to pack light. And speaking of _us_ being new to the region, how are the contests going for you?"

"How are my contests going?" May repeated. She immediately quieted down and slumped her shoulders. "I...umm...they're alright. How are they going for you?"

He peered at her curiously and she knew he was trying to read her like an open book. She looked away automatically and tried to quell the flush creeping onto her cheeks.

Or maybe she was just imagining things, for Drew didn't press for further details and shrugged nonchalantly before answering. "You know, the usual. It's always interesting to start in a new region. I'm seeing a lot of unique appeals from these Johto pokemon."

"Yeah me too," she nodded as she spoke. "Just wondering Drew...how many ribbons do you have now?"

Instead of verbally replying, Drew opted to dig into his pocket and pulled out a sleek, silver ribbon case. With a click of a button, the tri-fold case opened to reveal two shiny ribbons.

"What! You've won two already?!" May exclaimed flabbergasted and with traces of envy.

"What, did you expect any less from me?" Pride laced his voice as he snapped his case back shut.

"No...I guess not," The brunette answered with a resigned sigh.

Her rival didn't respond as they both walked forward. Their shoes were now caked in mud and the bottom of Drew's usually crisp and pristine pants were stained with dirt. Thin rivulets of water continuously dripped down May's barren legs and her socks were saturated in a dirty brown color. May was thinking about how desperately she needed to take a long shower when Drew broke into her thoughts.

"Tell me May, why did you decide to come to the Johto region by yourself?" He sounded neither curious nor confused, his question coming off as more of a statement.

"To follow my dream to be a top coordinator," she said instantly. "I came here to find my own unique style of appeals and battling."

The green-haired boy chuckled. "There we go looks like you still have some confidence in you."

"What do you mean?" May blinked her sapphire eyes in confusion.

"Let me guess," Drew continued as if he didn't hear her. "You came here eager to find your own style and realized that it's far from easy and on the contrary extremely difficult. It hasn't really been working out for you in your first few contests and traveling is giving you problems too. Now you're just wondering what you're worth without your friends."

May suddenly found observing her mucked-up shoes extraordinarily fascinating and closed her hand tighter around Drew's jacket.

"Tell the truth, am I close?"

She nodded, unable to retort. It felt like deja vu all over again. She was always so vulnerable compared to her rival. When would she ever be able to reach his level?

"Honestly May...you're too hard on yourself," he said using that strangely gentle voice again.

That got May's attention as she lifted her head up inquisitively.

"So what if you've been on a losing streak? So what if you're making some traveling mistakes? You're a heck of a lot better than that rookie coordinator losing control of her frisbees. Think about how far you've come." For the first time since their encounter under the tree, Drew squarely locked his gaze with hers. "Making mistakes is part of the process in finding your style. You'll get there. After all, I of all people, do accept you as my rival."

"Drew..." she trailed off in saying his name and paused in walking. Mirroring her, he stopped as well. "But I...I make a lot of mistakes. It's almost been two months and I still haven't won a single ribbon. Sometimes I just don't know what to do..."

"Losing two months doesn't mean you can't qualify for the Grand Festival. Like I said, your pokemon still stick by your side even though you're such a klutz. Trust in their faith in you. You're not alone, you have your pokemon and..." He halted midway in his speech, and after a moment of hesitation shut his mouth.

She furrowed her eyebrows and waited for him to continue. After it became clear that Drew had nothing more to say, May spoke up. "My pokemon...I'm letting down my pokemon aren't I? And my friends? Is that what you were going to say?"

"Something like that," he replied coolly. "Don't you want to show Solidad, Harley, and later on Ash how strong you've gotten?"

"And you," she added without missing a beat.

He blinked, slightly surprised by the determination in her tone. It was good to see May's fiery side come alive again. He flipped his hair casually, the green tresses falling back into the exact same place. "Hm. Now that's more like it." But he raised an eyebrow as he remembered the previous Grand Festival. "Technically, you've already won against me once."

"Just because I won once doesn't mean I still don't have to keep on beating you!" She exclaimed as she broke into a challenging grin.

A flicker of playful light danced in Drew's eyes and he genuinely smiled. "We'll see about that. Every time you see me I'll be much stronger too."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," May replied, reverting back to their usual bantering dynamic.

The rest of their walk went by quickly as the pitter patter of rain and splashing of mud puddles faded to the background of their snappy arguments and occasional laughter. Before they knew it, they'd arrived in front of the automatic sliding doors of their pokecenter haven.

"It was only about a mile away from where you were standing, on literally a straight path, and you still couldn't find it?" Drew chided lightly.

"Hey! Ash was lost all the time too, he rubbed off on me..." May whined defensively.

"Uh huh," Drew's eyes narrowed minutely but May brushed it away as part of her imagination.

A burst of warm air collided with the pair as the automatic doors slid open. The white fluorescent lights had never appeared so dazzling nor had the clinical sterile air ever smelled so sweet. "Ahh finally!" May beamed brightly and thrust her arms up as she practically skipped into the Pokecenter. She slid Drew's jacket off her shoulders and then let it hang over her forearm.

"Thank you, thank you Drew for saving me out there!" She was about to hug him in her euphoria but stopped short when she remembered that he was Drew. Not Ash nor Max nor Brock but Drew. Instead, she skidded to a stop in front of him and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"Err...no problem," he awkwardly replied; he turned away as he felt a strange feeling welling up in his chest.

"Oh my, were you two caught up in the storm outside?" A worried Nurse Joy asked as she bustled over to them.

"Haha...yup," May sighed, but then her smile quickly returned. "But it's no problem now. Can you direct me to the laundry room where I can change my clothes please?

"Sure, come with me," Nurse Joy said with a placating smile.

May turned towards Drew and tilted her head, "You coming?"

He stared at her blankly.

She stared at him blankly in return...until she realized what she had implied and frantically waved her hands in front of her. "W-Wait I don't mean it in that way! I just meant that we could change our clothes together but not like actually _together_...umm never mind." Mortification drenched her from head to toe. It was as if she was still outside in the storm, except instead of rain and wind it was embarrassment and awkwardness.

Drew's stifled laughter caught her off guard. Normally she would have hated to be laughed at by him, but decided it was a better alternative than silence. He declined her as politely as a Drew could be. "Nah...I'll head to my room first and wash up. Maybe I'll catch you later May."

"Yeah sure, I can't wait to face off with you in another−" She was stopped short by a fragrant red rose that appeared right under her nose. "Where do you keep hiding these things?" She wondered out loud as she accepted the rose and examined it happily. "Another rose for Beautifly?"

"Hn," he flipped his damp hair. "Something like that...though, this time I think the coordinator has actually improved," he called out as he began to retreat to his room.

"Huh?" May sputtered out as her face became beet red. Though, the embarrassment rapidly dissipated as Drew quietly disappeared. "Drew! I'm going to win the next contest we're in!" She shouted across the hallway.

He lifted his arm lazily in the air as response, leaving May with no other choice but to watch his back. He always wanted to leave so quickly, she thought absently.

"Would you still like me to direct you to the laundry room?" Nurse Joy's serene voice, with a hint of amusement, floated patiently through her ears.

"Ah! I'm so sorry about that," May bowed repeatedly, forgetting that there was a witness to her making a fool of herself. "Yes please, and do you also have an open room I can take for the night?"

A frown tugged at the edge of Nurse Joy's lips as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid the sudden rainstorm brought in a lot more guests than usual so unfortunately all the rooms are booked now," she said apologetically. She clasped her gloved hands together in front of her white apron as May's brow creased in worry. "But you're welcome to stay in the lobby if you'd like, we have some spare pillows and blankets for you to use. Again, I'm terribly sorry about this...maybe your friend would be willing to share his room with you?"

May absorbed the news slowly but understandingly, only chuckling weakly after Nurse Joy suggested she go seek out Drew. "You mean Drew...? No I, I couldn't do something like that."

"Pardon me for prying, but I doubt he would mind," Nurse Joy reasoned with a little shrug.

"Haha no it's not that..." May waved her free hand in front of her while shaking her head. "It's just...I don't want to keep on relying on him...How am I supposed to have him see me as an equal if he keeps helping me out?" She trailed off softly, shifting her eyes downcast.

"Ah, I understand then," Nurse Joy nodded. "There's no need to say more." The pink-haired woman perked up again and motioned for May to follow her. "Let's at least get you out of those wet clothes before you get sick!"

"Huh? O-Oh right! Thank you!" She said brightly. After a few steps forward, May turned her head back towards the hallway Drew had disappeared into, and as expected, saw no traces of him anymore.

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Sunlight streamed through the window's blinds, casting slits of yellow light over May's petite form. Pidgies twittered in the fresh morning air, causing May to stir and roll over on her side. "Just a few more minutes..."she groaned, nuzzling her face into posh material. She felt like she was on a cotton candy cloud, bundled up in a warm toasty blanket. Wait...since when were Pokecenter couches this comfortable...

May bolted up into a seating position, confusion flooding into her eyes as she scanned the room she was in. Pokecenter couches weren't comfortable, beds were. She was in a typical Pokecenter room consisting of a twin-sized bed, a mahogany desk, and matching chair. Everything was in pristine condition and vacant, except for a small pile of her belongings gathered on the night desk next to her. May furrowed her eyebrows as she lifted her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up, dressed in her orange outfit, and pulled on her black biker shorts. As she reached for her green bandana, she saw a neatly folded purple jacket.

_Drew. _

Could this be Drew's room? Memories of yesterday returned, where in all her happiness she had forgotten to return his jacket. Though it was partly his fault to for sneaking off so quickly too!

The brunette hastened to wash up, then zipped back into the room to collect her belongings. She trotted down the hallway and into the lobby, where only a few people were milling about since it was still quite early in the morning. No sign of him, she thought a little disappointedly. Maybe a spare room had opened up and Nurse Joy had carried her in there...that's it...

She walked over to area where she was certain she fell asleep in last night. All that greeted her were the stiff burgundy couches that lined the walls and the large coffee table that sat in the middle of the room. Still no sign of him, maybe he left already without a word of goodbye. She wouldn't have been surprised if he did, it was Drew after all.

Just when she was about to give up, she heard a nearly imperceptible shift. On any other day May wouldn't have noticed something so small, but because she was searching for Drew her ears perked up. May crept closer to the sound coming from a farther couch that was tucked in a corner and hidden behind a leafy tree. Curled up into a ball was her green-haired rival sleeping peacefully, actually looking like a young boy. His face had an uncharacteristic softness to it that was always hardened into serious and sarcasm when he was awake. Guilt surged through her as May put two in two together that Drew gave up her room for her. He was helping her. Again. She was supposed to be in his position. She didn't particularly mind sleeping on the couch, anything better than being lost in the rain. It crossed her mind to pick him up and carry him back to his room, but even the image of him potentially waking up in her arms made her cheeks flush cheri berry red.

And judging by the way he hid himself and left no traces of himself in the room, he didn't want her to find out. Stupid, stupid Drew. She vaguely wondered how many other times he had helped her without breathing a word of it to her. Just how much did she owe this boy? May carefully folded his purple jacket and gently placed it on top of his chest.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out in a whisper. Though she wasn't even certain what she was sorry about. Drew shifted, but didn't seem to wake up.

May sighed, though a small smile spread across her lips. As much of an arrogant, high and mighty jerk he made himself to be, he was a nice boy. She guessed...they were friends. He confused her pride. She wanted to become stronger and independent on her own. Yet her rival's support, her rival of all people, had made her insecurities crumble away. She contemplated whether or not to wait for him to wake up to bid a proper farewell, but then decided against it. Today, May would pull the classic Drew move of swiftly and mysteriously disappearing.

May backed away from him slowly, making sure her footsteps were light and airy. As she made her way to the automatic sliding doors that so warmly welcomed them yesterday, she glanced back one time to stare at Drew's sleeping form. If she was going to face off with him again in the Grand Festival, she better get started with her training. Next time he saw her, she would be walking on par beside him.

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Author's Note: I had a strange wave of nostalgia that inspired me to write something about these two, I've always like this couple since those days when I would wake up on Saturday mornings to watch pokemon. As happy-go-lucky and bubbly May is, I interpret her to be quite prideful especially in terms of competing against Drew. I still remember this one scene from that Brianna episode where May is talking to an invisible Drew telling him to watch her shine. I can just imagine her fumbling in the beginning of her journey, even in the Wallace Cup episodes May admits it's been one disaster after another which is such a blow to her pride and opens up her insecurities. And Drew is one of my favorite characters from the series. As cocky and critical as he is, he's rather awkward and doesn't exactly know how to handle his fans or non-pokemon related topics. Maybe I'll write another story in Drew's point of view...

Ohh what a long author's note, if you managed to get this far thank you for reading!


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